Abstract:
Nanodiamonds ("nano" comes from the Greek word for "dwarf") have potential applications for industrial polishing and grinding and as a hardening agent in nickel-based coatings that would be more durable and less costly than chrome.

But now their possibilities for biomedical use have become more attractive — perhaps as magic bullets for carrying drugs or genes and tiny robots for performing cell repairs, or in stronger coatings for artificial joints and bones — thanks to researchers at the University of Dayton and Wright-Patterson's Air Force Research Laboratory.